Deadlox and Colt
by latenightfanfic
Summary: This is a fairly short fanfic with Deadlox and my persona Colt. Um...essentially they're roommates. ROOMMATES. ok i'm bad at this. but anyway leave reviews and stuff. Rated M for some slight gore/disturbing scenes and some sex. Enjoy!
1. Chapters 1-3

_**Chapter One**_

Colt practically fell off the bus platform, her luggage crashing along behind her as she hurried to get to the street above. She felt slightly crushed in all this traffic, and having been on the metro for three hours was terrible conditions for a claustrophobe like her.

Pushing through the mass of people on the stairs, Colt burst onto the sidewalk on Broadway. Breathing deeply, she relished in the scents of shops and fresh air. Smiling to herself, she picked up a steady but quick pace in the direction of the apartments. She couldn't wait to meet her new roommate-since this was a co-ed system, she was hoping for a guy. Colt had never really gotten along with girls-so much gossip, and all the rest of her gender ever seemed to want to do was shop and watch _Pretty Little Liars_. Boys, though-boys didn't boss you around, or talk about you behind your back, or judge your fashion sense. Boys would play video games with you, and boys didn't care about what shirt you had worn that day or the way you had styled your hair. Boys were awesome.

Slowing to a stop outside of the complex, Colt felt a pinch of anxiety. This dorm was all people her age, and some (most) people her age were partying and running about having sex every night. What might she get herself into? She didn't like causing trouble, but….

Pushing her qualms to the back of her mind, Colt sighed and lugged her suitcase up the staircase. Reading the key-card given to her by the manager, she looked for her room number. Room 915-it ought to have a good view. These were pretty good apartments, after all. Picking up the pace, she reached level nine about five minutes later. Shuddering with a hint of excitement, she walked down the hall to room 915. It was at the very end of the hall, and was also the top level. Pulling out her key, she started for the door.

Suddenly, it burst open, and Colt squeaked and stumbled backwards in embarrassed surprise. Looking up shyly, she saw the flustered and equally shocked face of her roommate-thankfully, it was a guy. "Sorry!" she said, feeling her heart race and her blood rush.

"No problem…I'm guessing you're my roommate?" he said.

"Um….yeah. I'm Colt." she said, extending her hand.

He took it in his, giving a squeeze of greeting. "Nice to meet you, Colt. I'm Ty."

Colt was taken aback, but she smiled easily, nodding. He grinned. "Nice to meet you too, Ty."

She studied him for a second. He had dusty brown hair that fell over one eye, and tan skin. Blue eyes, too. "Hold up….are you Deadlox?" she inquired.

He grinned even more broadly. "Yup, that's me." he said, giving her a mock bow and giving her a flirty look. "Deadlox at your service, ma'am."

Colt laughed, blushing. "Cool!" she said, at a loss for anything better to say.

Ty moved aside, beckoning her inside. "Come on in, I don't bite."

Walking in, Colt sat down on the obviously unclaimed side of the room. There was one whole wall that was pure windows, and it showed off the New York skyline beautifully. She smiled slightly, taking it in.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ty said, mirroring her thoughts as he flopped down lazily on his bed.

Smiling at him, Colt nodded. Turning her attention to her things, she began to unpack. Organizing her closet, she brought out her combat boots and tennis shoes, the only shoes she had brought, and tossed them to one side. She hung her shirts on one side of her closet, and her pants and her few shorts on the other. Looking over at Ty, she admired his looks. He was….well, he was hot. Not like model hot, but like gamer hot. Meaning her type. Meaning…

Shaking off her thoughts, Colt broke his gaze. Had she been staring? Oh god. He was going to think she was a creep. And she wasn't ready for that kind of relationship, she wasn't stable. She was so bloody broken. He would never like her. It's not like she would have a chance. He probably already had a girlfriend. Or-

Ty interrupted her thoughts. "So, I take it you're a gamer too?"

Colt smiled, looking over her shoulder. "Yeah. Minecraft, Halo, that sort of stuff."

"Cool. That's pretty much what I play, too. Minecraft is a given."

"Yup. Hey, do you know who else is on this hall….?" she asked.

Ty nodded. "You know who Adam is, and Jason is here too. Actually, there are a lot of other Minecrafters here-but that's about it so far." he said.

Colt grinned. "Sweet. " she said.

They were silent for a bit as they both continued unpacking and organizing. Well….Ty wasn't really organizing, more putting stuff somewhere neatly. Colt wasn't sure. Whatever, she thought. As long as he doesn't chuck stuff everywhere, I'm cool with it.

When they both finished, Ty looked at her ponderingly. Colt raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What, Ty?"

He snapped out of it. "Sorry. Was just thinking. D'you want to come meet the gang?" he said, grinning.

* * *

_**Chapter Two**_

When they final got back, Colt and Ty were best friends and she had met Sky, Fluffy, Captain Sparklez, Bodil, and Dawn. She and Dawn were pretty close already, having gone to school together at one point. As she and Ty arrived at their room, he smiled at her. "How'd you like it?" he asked her casually.

"It was awesome! Thanks for inviting me." she said.

They had done a recording, actually, on Bodil's Epic Jump Map. Colt had almost won, but Dawn had pushed her off and won it for herself. Colt didn't mind, they had always been very competitive towards each other. Ty had….well, Ty failed. He and Sky kept murdering each other. Bodil, naturally, had been up to no good trolling everyone, and Fluffy and CS had pushed each other into lave several times, losing their lead.

When Ty finally went to sleep around 1 that morning, Colt felt herself beginning to doze off, too. Suddenly, her phone buzzed almost imperceptibly. Not wanting to disturb Ty, she hopped lightly out of bed, creeping into her closet and closing the door. Plugging the crack below it with a towel, she unlocked her phone. Her friend Ember had texted her from Kansas! They hadn't talked in a few days, since Ember was always busy with her art exhibitions and Colt had been traveling. Opening it up, she read the text.

-_Colt! I've got some news!_

-_What's up?_

-_Well, I have bad and good. Which one do you want first?_

-_The good stuff. Dur._

-_My artwork for the anime show sold! I've gotten the job!_

Colt clapped silently. Ember had recently applied to be an artist for a popular anime series, and she had been talking non-stop about it for weeks.

-_omg! Congrats!_

-_Thank ya! __J Ok, bad news now. :/_

_-I'm ready._

_-You know how Bolt had lung cancer?_

_-Yeah…._

_-I'm so sorry, Colt._

_-WHAT? No! He can't be dead! Doc said he was gonna pull through!_

_-…._

_-I'm sorry, E. I gtg. Talk tomorrow._

-_I'm so sorry Colt. Bye._

Shutting her phone off, Colt felt tears well in her eyes. Even after they had broken up, she and Bolt had been best friends. He had supported her through her friend's suicide, and he had always been there for her. When he had gotten lung cancer, he had been horribly emotionally affected. The doctor said they should have gotten it soon enough, and Bolt had been scheduled for a surgery to remove it earlier that month. She had never thought this would happen….never!

Hugging herself and curling into a ball, Colt shook. Sitting up, she silently opened the closet door and slipped out of her and Ty's room. What to do? She couldn't let herself go dark again. Maybe she should text Dawn.

-_Dawn?_

_-What's up? _

_-I need to talk to you. It's bad._

_-Come on over. Adam's sleeping over at CS's, they did another recording and you know how lazy he is._

_-OK. Thank you._

_-Np._

Jogging down the hall barefoot in her shorts and cami, Colt felt vulnerable. When she reached Dawn's door, she tapped the door in the sign for SOS, like she always had when they were in middle school and snuck out to laugh and talk. That had been 5 years ago when they were both in eighth grade, but she was sure Dawn would remember.

Dawn came to the door, with a hot chocolate in hand and a box of Kleenex. "C'mere." she said, setting them both down as she pulled her best friend in the door. "What happened?" she said, obviously worried.

"He's dead!" Colt choked out, shaking. "Bolt's dead, Dawn!"

Dawn sucked in, hugging her friend and leading her to the sofa. Grabbing the hot chocolate and Kleenex, she put them on the coffee table by Colt and sat her down. Curling her legs under her, she sat down right next to her. "The surgery didn't work?"

"No, and now he's gone!" Colt wailed quietly.

"Oh, hon. I'm so sorry. I know he meant so much to you. Just promise me you won't go dark if you can, ok?"

"OK. I'll try."

The two talked until the sun came up, when Dawn fell asleep and Colt snuck back to her and Ty's place. Curling up in her own bed, she closed her eyes for the first time that day and was quickly fast asleep.

* * *

_**Chapter Three**_

When she woke up, she was covered in another blanket, a fleece. Shivering, she curled and burrowed, not wanting to wake up. Life was too much. She needed a damn snooze button.

Looking at the clock on her bedside table, the time read 10:07 am. She had been asleep for barely five hours. Looking out the window, she saw the beautiful New York winter morning and the frost on the window. Colt sighed. Great. Life.

Sitting up, she shook her head and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Looking over at Ty's bed, she realized he must've woken up and covered her with this extra blanket. The sheets she had brought were thin; she must've been frozen.

Swinging her long legs over the side, she looked around her and came to her senses finally. She remembered the events of earlier that morning, and shuddered, feeling a shard of ice work its way into her heart. Sighing, Colt got up and walked into the kitchen, where Ty was sitting and eating bacon.

"Morning, Colt." he said, sounding just as out of it as she was. "Please tell me you like bacon, I'm hopeless with other breakfast stuff. Everything really, I can't cook worth a damn."

Colt smiled, trying not to let him see her sadness. "Are you fricken kidding me? How can I not like bacon?" she said, serving herself a few pieces. The wonderful taste exploded in her mouth, and she rolled her eyes in pleasure. "Yum."

Ty grinned back. "Excellent, you're now a million percent awesomer because you like bacon."

Colt chuckled. "Fun. Oh, and I can cook."

Ty widened his eyes in exaggeration. "Thank you sweet Jesus, a roommate who can cook!"

They chatted drowsily for another hour or so about nothing really important, then Colt decided to go and get dressed. She needed a shower, like it would wash all the bad away. Excusing herself, she went to grab some clothes and her shower stuff. Rummaging about in her closet, she finally settled on a well-fitting plain black shirt and skinny jeans. She had her own bathroom, with a huge shower and a decently sized tub with a Jacuzzi. "Thank you New York." she said thankfully, closing and locking her doors and setting her stuff down. "Showah time!"

After her shower, Colt felt refreshed, but she was still a bit sad. Putting on her clothes and some light mascara, she opened the doors and quickly braided her hair. Her main job was as an online design consultant, so she didn't have to work other than analyze designs on her laptop and edit them. No leaving the house to work in some stuffy office, thank goodness. For being only 18, she had a pretty good life.

Ty walked in just then, and whistled quietly. "Well, the girl appears again. Nice outfit, Colt." he said, not really hiding the fact that he was checking her out.

Colt smiled at him. "Thanks Ty. You don't look half bad either." she teased, giving him a playful poke in the side.

He chuckled, eyes shining. "Good thing it's Saturday, huh? More time to play Minecraft."

Colt nodded. "Oh yes. Minecraft is good." she said.

He gave her a pointed look. "You ok, Colt?"

Colt felt surprise, but put on her best confused look, hoping he hadn't noticed. "Huh? Oh, yeah, just thinking. Sorry."

Ty grinned. "Then I'm sure you're up to a bit of XRun?" he said.

"Only if you wanna get beat, Ty!" she said, gamely.

He poked her. "You're on!"

Several games of XRun and maybe two hours later, Ty and Colt were both frustrated but laughing insanely. Colt had won almost all of the runs, since Ty was too busy laughing so hard he choked at some of her rather intense facial expressions when he hit her off. This was the best Colt had felt in the last 24 hours, and she was thankful for Ty's company. He decided to run over to Bodil's and help him with his map, and he invited Colt. Although she desperately wanted to say yes, Colt politely declined, saying she and Dawn were going to go see a movie or something, have some girl time. Ty looked a little dismayed, and she almost reconsidered, but he agreed. "See ya, Colt. "

"Bye, Ty. Troll Bodil for me."

"Of course, m'lady! I shall do as thee obliges me to do." He said, shooting her a playful look and randomly grabbing her hand as he bowed.

Colt almost died laughing, and he gave her a bear hug. "'Course I'm gonna troll 'Dil, Colt. Bye."

Heart racing, Colt returned his hug and they parted ways for the afternoon. Had he just…hugged her?! She must be going insane, she thought, but she was still grinning madly when she reached Dawn's door. Knocking the SOS, she waited. And waited. And waited some more. But Dawn still didn't answer. Knocking again, she decided to give her friend ten more minutes. She might still be sleeping.

Unfortunately, the waiting gave Colt a chance to dwell on the occurrences of the night before. She couldn't believe Bolt was really dead. He was so strong, and Doc himself had said he should pull through.

Should.

Should. But he hadn't. And Dawn didn't know what to do, she was just as socially awkward as Colt when it came to comforting people. Not that she wasn't trying, Colt knew she was, but Bolt had been so special to her and now he wasn't there to get her through. She didn't want to tell Ty or the others, since they hadn't even known Bolt and they were all guys. They would have zero idea what to do. Most guys were like that.

The opening of the door surprised Colt, pulling her from her thoughts. Dawn looked exhausted, and Adam was nowhere to be seen. Slipping inside, Colt hugged her friend. "Hey. Sorry I kept you up. But I don't have much of anyone else to talk to."

Dawn smiled kindly. "It's okay, Colt. Want to talk over some Walls?" she asked, knowing Colt needed something to take herself out on.

Colt smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Dawn. Sure."


	2. Chapters 4-6

_**Hey guys! These next few chapters are probably the most disturbing/graphic of the entire fic, in terms of the emotional tension and physical stuff. Have fun!**_

* * *

_**Chapter Four**_

A few hours later, when Dawn had decided to go back to sleep, Colt slipped out of her friend's room for the second time that day. Walking down the hall, she heard Ty and the others all in the midst of a recording, as she had suspected. Unlocking the door to her and Ty's apartment, she flopped down on her bed. Running through all the memories she had with Bolt, she felt a tear slip down her cheek. Then another. And another. The pain came faster and faster, until Colt ran into her bathroom, locking the door and doubling over the toilet, retching. She couldn't do this, she couldn't stand taking losses like this. First her friend committed suicide, then Apache had died in the war, then her half-sister had been murdered, and now Bolt was gone too.

Ripping open her cosmetics bag, Colt pulled out a small tin from the very bottom. Opening it, she looked at the small blades inside. Crying harder, she reached for the sharpest one, and extracted it. Setting the tin down, she shook slightly. She wanted to be happy again. _Slice_ went the blade across her wrist. She wanted to be normal. _Slice._ She wanted all her friends back. _Slice. _She hated being depressed. _Slice. _She was a monster. _Slice._ She was falling. _Slice. _No one could know. _Slicesliceslice._

Finally, as she watched the fresh blood fall down her arm, Colt felt better. Relieved. Like she had been saved from drowning. She shouldn't have done this, she knew. But it felt so much better than the mental pain. Wetting a paper towel, she wiped the blood away, cleaning up. Hopefully Ty wasn't back yet. Rolling her sleeves down over her scarred arm, she wiped her face, gathered herself. Opening the doors, she flopped back down on her bed, and grabbed her favorite book, _Ender's Game_, from her table. Turning to the end, she read backwards. She didn't know why. But it felt right.

When Ty came in minutes later, he looked surprised to see her there. "Hiya, Colt." He said.

"Hey Ty. How'd it go?"

"Good. Bodil might not say so, but it was good."

Colt did her best fake laugh. She didn't like faking it, but she was preoccupied. "Good. Dawn fell asleep on me, so I came back to read." She said, indicating the book in her hand.

Ty smiled, seeming to accept her laugh as the truth. "Wonder why she was so tired. She's never tired."

Colt tensed a bit. "Must've had a long night."

"Yeah."

Ty shot her a look after a moment. "Colt, you sure you're okay?"

Colt looked up. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just been an interesting day, you know?"

"Yep. Um….what's for dinner?" he asked, giving her a pitiful look.

Colt laughed, for real this time. "You poor hungry thing, never been fed in your life. What do you want for dinner, I don't really care."

Ty chuckled. "Surprise me. I'll go get soda. Deal?"

Colt nodded. "Deal. Root beer."

Ty grinned. "Root beer it is, Colt. See you in a bit."

"Ok! Prepare to be surprised."

When Ty left, Colt dug through the mini fridge. She had brought some stuff, and she was craving either pizza or pancakes. Possibly chicken. Or sausage. She eventually decided to make a pizza with sausage. Meat lover's style.

Ty got back right as the pizza finished. He took a big whiff. "Yum. It smells awesome. Pizza, I'm guessing. Am I right?"

Colt nodded. "Pizza with sausage."

Ty grinned. "Sweet."

They ate quickly, and chatted about video games for a while after. They mainly talked Minecraft, but sometimes they slipped into Halo. Eventually, maybe around 10 in the evening, Colt decided to go to sleep and Ty agreed. She changed into shorts and a cami, both black, and curled under the covers. She shut her eyes tightly, hoping her dreams wouldn't be hellish. They always were, though, after she cut. Her arm itched a bit, but Colt ignored it. She heard Ty mutter goodnight, and she returned the favor. She sat there in the dark curled in the covers until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

_**Chapter Five**_

About a month later, Colt's grief still lingered, getting worse and worse. She still cut, almost every day. Even worse, Ember was so busy and Dawn was so exhausted that she had no one to talk to. Also, her old friend Savanna had recently committed suicide, maybe a week after Bolt's death. The scars on Colt's arm now were like old friends, and they increased by the day.

One night, after she and Ty had both called it quits on the parkour, Colt had more trouble than usual getting to sleep. When she finally did, she started dreaming.

The first dream was pretty bad. She was in the war, with Apache, and she watched him die. It was, to say the least, graphic. But the second dream-oh, the second dream was horrible. Colt was running, in a field of black. She heard a big thing coming after her, clomping along close behind and panting loudly. Suddenly, she tripped over a tall stone sticking out of the ground. It was a gravestone. Reading it, Colt realized it was Bolt's. The one next to it was…oh god, it was Dylan's. There was her sister's. And Dawn's. And Ty's. The beast caught up to her, grabbing her. "You killed me!" it yelled, in all of her friends voices. Clamping its mighty paws around her, it crushed her lungs and black began to flutter at the edges of her vision. She screamed, thrashing.

Snapping into consciousness, Colt realized she had screamed. Balling up, she shook violently and cried. Whimpering in stark terror, she shrieked again when she felt a hand on her back. "Colt? Colt? Colt, what is it?" came Ty's bleary voice. She felt him shake her gently, and sit down on her bed.

"Colt. Colt, it's okay. Talk to me. Please." he said, almost begging. She shook, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her arms hurt, and she realized she was scratching her cuts. She felt Ty roll her over, bear hugging her. "Colt, sssh. It's okay. I'm here. What happened?" he asked, more urgently.

Colt was barely thinking rationally now. "They all died because of me. It's all my fault. I'm a monster." she choked, still sobbing. Ty started a bit, and hugged her again.

"Colt, you didn't kill anyone. It was just a dream."

"No, no, they're all dead! They all died! Gone!"

Ty sat her up and looked her in the eye. She turned her head so he wouldn't see her face, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. But he reached a hand out, turning her head gently back. "Colt, you killed no one. You're a good person. I promise."

Colt trembled harder, another tear falling down her cheek. "No, you don't know me, Ty. I'm a monster." She said, quietly, but she didn't turn away. She knew he probably wouldn't have stopped her, but she didn't move. She looked him dead-on. "I'm a monster, Ty. And you can't do anything about it."

Colt thought he would leave then, or tell her that she wasn't. But he didn't. He leaned in, pulling her face towards his. He looked into her eyes."Then you're my monster, and nothing will ever change that." And then, to Colt's utter disbelief, he kissed her.

It wasn't a long kiss, nor was it short. He just…..kissed her. Colt didn't bother breaking away, and she didn't really want to. When he finally pulled back, she had stopped crying. She was still trembling a little, but that wasn't necessarily because of the dream or her grief. Ty looked into her eyes still, although he had taken his hand away. "Colt," he said, not really seeming to know how to begin, "you may think you're a monster. But I promise you, you aren't. You are beautiful, Colt, inside and out, and I love you. Even if you were a monster, I would still love you."

Colt felt her heart pounding in her chest. She felt like she was going to faint. But she didn't. It would've been a good diversion, she had to admit, since she had nothing to say. But then she thought about it. Hell, actions spoke louder than words, didn't they? Colt was hopeless with words, she always had been. She wanted so badly to tell Ty how she felt. But she feared that she would mess up. So maybe if she did something….

Looking back into Ty's eyes, she saw his worry. He looked like he wanted to kiss her again, or do something to help. He just looked like he felt helpless. Colt almost had a second thought about what she was going to do. But she moved before she could have the thought, Colt rolled up her sleeves, and turned over her wrists, exposing her scars.

Ty looked taken aback at first, then scared. Then he looked worried, then he looked like everything at once. He looked back into her eyes, and she couldn't read his expression. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Ty broke the silence. "Why didn't you tell me, Colt?"

Colt blinked, and looked away, ready to start crying again. Ty must've noticed the look on her face, because he quickly reached out and turned her head back towards him. "Please, Colt, don't cry. I'm not mad. I just want to know what's going on."

Colt was reluctant to speak for a moment, but she did it. "Because….," she said, hesitating, "….because, I didn't want to hurt you."

Ty looked at her scars again, then back into her eyes. "It hurts me to see you like this, Colt."

She scooted back, ready to run away. "I'm sorry, I-"

Ty grabbed her shoulders, strongly, but not roughly. "No, Colt, hear me out. It hurts me to see you like this. I know you blame yourself for the deaths, but you didn't do anything. I know you're depressed and you just want it all to end. But see how you are by their deaths? This is how we would be if you killed yourself. You would kill us, too. You would kill me. Colt, please. Please stay."

Colt felt a lone tear trickle down her cheek, and she felt Ty wipe it away. "Please, Colt. I love you. Please don't do this."

She sighed, running a finger over all of her cuts. It hurt, but it hurt in a good way. And she hated it. "Oh, Ty. I'm so sorry!" she wailed, and he hugged her close, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

As the rays of morning sun trickled through Colt's window that morning, they lit up Ty and Colt's sleeping figures next to each other. They had fallen asleep talking about the dream and whatever Colt needed to talk about, and he hadn't bothered to move beds. So Colt had just curled into him, and he had slept with his arm settled protectively around her. As the warm rays hit Colt's face, her eyelids fluttered open and she cuddled closer into Ty, sharing his comforting warmth. He didn't wake up, but he hugged her closer. Colt remembered the feeling of him kissing her, and the way he just listened to her and knew when she needed a hug. Sighing contentedly, she shifted so that her cuts were less vulnerable. This must've woken Ty up, because he shifted too and yawned. "Morning, Colt." He said, extremely drowsy.

"G'morning, Ty." She said, turning just enough to see his face and smile at him. He smiled back, looking happy to see her.

Stretching slightly, she snuggled back into him and sighed again. He gave a soft chuckle. "What are you, a cat?" he teased gently.

Colt snorted.

Ty, obviously more awake than she was, grinned. "Well, here's what you do with cats," he said, giving her a squeeze. "You let them sleep some, and then when it's time to wake up…."

Colt looked at him innocently. "And?"

Ty grinned guiltily. " …..you tickle them!" he said, tickling Colt. She squealed and squirmed, laughing all the while. He somehow managed to hold her down, and only two minutes later, Colt was a giggling mess.

"Tyyyy!" she said, smiling broadly. Ty laughed at her indignant expression, managing to kiss her before she burst into another fit of giggles.

"You're awake now, aren't you?" he said, giving her an impish smile.

Colt tried to look mean, but Ty looked at her so oddly that she failed completely and started laughing again. "You imp!" she said, poking him.

"That's me, Colt, your favorite imp."

Colt sighed, serious again. "Blergh."

Ty hugged her to him, sharing his warmth. "Yes, that describes the situation completely."

They snuggled comfortably for a few more minutes, both watching the world go by out of the window. Suddenly Colt sat up. "Ty! Look!" she said, excited.

Ty sat up, dazed. "What happen?"

"Ty, it's snowing! The first snow of December!"

Ty grinned. "All the more reason to sleep in and stay under the covers, eh?" he said.

Colt looked at him. "Yeah, and all the more reason for bacon. I'm hungry. C'mon."

Ty sighed, then smiled. "Bacon trumps all, doesn't it, Colt?" he said.

"Yup. Bacon's awesome. I like bacon."

"You don't love bacon?"

"No, but I love you."

Ty smiled, whisking Colt into his arms. "And I love you, Colt." He said, kissing her again. He carried her all the way into the kitchen, where he set her down gently on her own two feet. She smiled and flopped in a chair while Ty started on the bacon.

Colt yawned loudly, shaking her head and letting her long brunette hair fly about her face. Ty grinned, turning back to the bacon. "How much bacon do you want?" he asked.

"As much as I can have, Ty. Did I mention I'm starving?"

Ty served her the bacon and they both flopped in front of the window, chatting and talking about what they should do that day. Colt leaned comfortably into Ty, and he gave her a big hug. "You gonna be okay, Colt?"

She smiled as he tipped her head gently up, looking into her eyes searchingly. Biting her lip, she said, "I can't say it'll last, but…I guess so. It's just…..really hard for me to…to deal with."

Ty nodded, noticing her obvious distress and kissing her forehead gently. "I know, Colt. I'm always here for you if you need me, remember that."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "YO TY! WAKE UP MAN! AND BRING COLT WITH YOU!" came Adam's voice through the door.

Ty and Colt looked at each other, grinning, then they both ran to get dressed. Colt threw her hair into a messy bun and put on a form-fitting black shirt and jeans, then slipped into her combat boots. Pulling on her jacket, she met Ty outside the door, where he and Adam were waiting.

Raising an eyebrow at Adam, she shut the door behind her. "What's up?"

"Follow me!" he said, obviously excited about something.

Adam jogged down the hall, and she followed next to Ty. The three darted down the stairwell, reaching the lobby in what Colt thought must be record time. Adam was grinning widely by the door, where Dawn and Fluffy both waited. "It's snowing! I love snow!" he said.

Dawn looked like she was about to fall over, she was laughing so hard. The look on Adam's face was that of a young child on Christmas Day-like he had just seen the huge package by the tree with his name on it. "Adam…?"

"What Ty?"

"You haven't had your meds today, have you?"

"NOPE!" he said, grinning even more broadly.


	3. Chapters 7-9

**In any case, here are the next few segments!**

* * *

_**Chapter**** Seven**_

About an hour later, when Adam had taken his meds and calmed down some, they decided to wake up the others. Fluffy voted that they dump ice on Bodil and stuff snow down Captain Sparklez's shirt, but no one wanted to suffer CS's rage. So they decided to just dump ice on Bodil instead, and just set off all the alarms at once in Captain's room.

Colt and Dawn decided to get Bodil, while Fluffy, Adam, and Ty got everyone's alarm clocks to set off next to Captain. As the two girls gathered ice, one of Colt's sleeves slipped up her arm, revealing her cuts. She didn't notice at first, until she heard Dawn gasp. "Colt! What…..oh god, did you…..?"

Colt nodded sadly, hastily rolling her sleeves down. "I'm sorry Dawn….it just got to be too much."

Dawn looked near tears. "I don't want to lose you again! Remember ninth grade? When you-"

Colt cut her off as a wave of emotion rose in her chest. "Dawn, please."

The other girl sighed. "Ok. Does Ty know….?"

Colt bit her lip, wondering whether to tell her or not. "Welllll…..it's…..it's complicated. Yeah, he knows, butt…it's weird. Nevermind."

Dawn chuckled knowingly, and started scooping up ice again. "Got it."

A few moments later, the two raced up the stairs, giggling hysterically as they tried not to drop the ice. When they reached the ninth floor, they saw the guys creeping towards Captain's room, with armfuls of alarm clocks and their phones out. Ty grinned at Colt, and she winked at him.

Dawn carefully and silently unlocked Bodil's door, beckoning Colt inside. They crept into his bedroom, holding in their laughter so hard their eyes started to tear up. Colt exchanged a look with Dawn, mouthing "_One. Two. Three!"_

On three, they both grabbed Bodil's sheets off of him and poured ice all over his body. He screamed, writhing, as the girls sprinted out of the apartment, cackling maniacally. They heard him swearing furiously, stumbling out of bed and after them. Dawn and Colt staggered into the hall, collapsing on the floor by Colt and Ty's apartment, panting and smirking. Bodil staggered out of his apartment, shirtless, and collapsed, shivering. The girls motioned to him to stay quiet, pointing at Ty and the others sneaking into Captain's apartment with the alarms, all set to go off in a minute. Bodil grinned, and nodded in understanding.

The three waited in the hall, as silent as mice. Suddenly, there was a loud blaring similar to that of nuclear alarm klaxons, and they heard a loud roar from the room as Captain Sparklez awoke. The guys staggered from the room, Adam laughing so hard he was in tears. They all got up and sprinted down the stairs, even Bodil without his shirt. Captain Sparklez stumbled out of his room, looking absolutely furious and cursing loudly. They all ran down to the lobby, and out the double doors. Gathering armfuls of snow, they waited for a moment until Captain Sparklez busted out the doors, still swearing. Then, on a cue from Fluffy, they threw their snow at Captain Sparklez and sprinted as fast as they could to the Park, laughing the whole way, with Captain Sparklez in hot pursuit.

Colt and Dawn, being the fastest, got there first. Dawn had the good sense to hide, while Colt started making an arsenal of snowballs behind Dawn's tree. When Ty and Bodil got there, Bodil ran and started digging a hole to get in. Ty ran behind the tree next to Dawn and Colt's and sat there, laughing happily. Adam and Fluffy barreled in just moments later, both out of breath and grinning. They started their own snowball arsenal, but were too late. Captain Sparklez barged into the Park, red faced but grinning slightly. Picking up snowballs, he yelled, "DAMN YOU FLUFFYYYY!" before being hit squarely in the face with snow.

Dawn fell out of her tree, laughing, while Colt sent a well-aimed snowball at Adam's back. He lept into the air, running about like he had been burned as he tried to get the snow out of his sweatshirt. Fluffy opened fire on Ty, who had just thrown at Captain Sparklez, who was stumbling to his feet. Colt took two balls and sprinted over to Bodil, shoving a mountain of snow plus her snowballs onto his head. He yelled at her to duck, and she knelt just in time to avoid the snowball sent flying over her head by Ty. Whirling, she saw him dart behind a tree, laughing. Grinning, she threw right back and hit him in the neck. He yelped in surprise, sending a badly aimed snowball at her chest. Colt dodged, and ran into Bodil as he stumbled out of his hole. Stumbling slightly, she had no time to dodge Ty's second throw, which hit her squarely in the back of the neck. She squeaked, wiggling as the cold slid down her back. Ty cackled, giving her a thumbs up and a guilty grin as he darted off in Captain Sparklez's direction.

After a while, when everyone was freezing and soaked to the bone, they all headed back to the apartments. Adam and Fluffy were laughing still, as Captain Sparklez ranted about how he had been deafened for life. Dawn and Colt laughed and ran the whole way back, trying to keep their body heat up. Ty and Bodil simply lagged behind, talking about who knew what.

When they got to Dawn's, Colt grabbed some dry clothes from her own closet and ran over. They both changed and dried their hair, then went to the kitchen to make hot chocolate for everyone. Dawn was surprisingly chatty, talking about her and Adam.

"He proposed last night, you know!" she said after a while.

Colt squealed and clapped her hands in excitement. "Oh my god! Dawn!"

"I know!"

They jumped up and down, laughing and screaming.

When the others finally arrived, maybe fifteen minutes later, Dawn and Colt popped out with hot chocolate in hand. The guys crowded around as they busily served everyone, and talked about the morning. Ty was going on about how he had had to reset all the alarms, when Captain Sparklez broke in.

"Who came UP with that?" he said, sounding exasperated. "You cost me an hour of sleep!"

Everyone looked at Adam ad Fluffy. Fluffy burst into laughter, while Adam just grinned.

"You two! Gah!"

Bodil nudged him. "Oi, be happy they didn't pour ice on you." He said, laughing.

Everyone grinned.

"You know, Bodil," said Dawn, "maybe if you had had a shirt on it would've helped."

Bodil looked down at his chest, which indeed lacked a shirt.

"Erm…..yes."

"Bodil, go put your goddamn shirt on. And take a warm shower."

He hurried off, looking a bit awkward. Everyone cracked up, especially Adam.

* * *

_**Chapter Eight**_

The next day, Colt woke up curled into Ty's chest, just like the day before. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was almost two in the morning. She had forever to sleep. Why had she woken up?

Then she realized that her phone was buzzing. Who would have texted….oh. Ember. Colt hoped she didn't bring bad news. Squirming out from under Ty's arm, thankfully not waking him, she grabbed her phone and went into the closet.

_-Hey E._

_-HI!_

_-Someone's excited. What's up?_

_-My paycheck just came in! I can afford that cute convertible I wanted!_

_-OMG! Sweet!_

_-Ikr! How are you?_

_-Pretty good. I guess. Well, actually, really good._

_-OOOh? Boyfriend?_

_-Yep!_

_-Who is it?_

_-Deadlox._

_-WHAT! I hate u!_

_-Love you too, E ;)_

_-omg I'm so happy for you! so how's it going with him and you?_

_-we're sleeping together._

_-woahhhhhhhhhh dude._

_-nonono! Not like that E! jeez_

_-oh you meant literally sleeping_

_-….wow_

_-so I'll let you sleep, then?_

_-yes, yes you will._

_-oh stahp. Night Colt_

_-night E!_

Colt shut her phone off, exiting the closet and snuggling back in with Ty. She didn't go back to sleep, though. She couldn't stop thinking about what Ember had said, about her and Ty sleeping together. Was that even a possibility? She and Ty might be on a kissing and sleeping together basis, but…..sex? Were they really that close? Not that she minded if they were. Ty wasn't unattractive in the least, and hell, it's not like she would mind.

Ty shifted beside her, hugging her to him with his arm and nuzzling into her affectionately. Colt grinned. Oh, she definitely wouldn't mind.

Closing her eyes, Colt remembered once more Ty's kiss. He was so gentle with her, so kind. He made her feel so safe. When was she going to tell Dawn? When was Ty going to tell the guys? Was that even a good idea? God, this was confusing. No matter how much she loved Ty, this was going to get complicated.

The next morning, Colt woke up and yawned. Ty kissed her forehead. "Morning." She said in a slurred voice.

"Morning, beautiful. How'd you sleep?"

She smiled, feeling all warm and fuzzy. "Pretty good. No dreams."

"Good."

"How'd you sleep?"

"Not well. I kept waking up randomly."

"Aw, I'm sorry. You need to sleep in?"

"Welllll…yes."

"Alright."

Colt started to get up, but Ty called her back. "Colt?"

"Yeah Ty?"

"Stay, please?"

Colt smiled. "Of course." She said, curling back up next to Ty as he hugged her close.

"I love you, Colt."

"I love you too."

* * *

_**Chapter Nine**_

When she and Ty woke up a few hours later, Colt felt much better than she had that morning. She needed a shower, though, and she and Dawn needed to talk. Grabbing her phone, she texted her.

_-Dawn. Coffee in 30?_

_-I'll be ready._

Ty went to eat breakfast, while Colt threw on some shorts and a black shirt with a leather jacket. She met Ty outside the door, and he kissed her softly on the lips. "See you later, Colt."

Colt's heart raced. "Ok Ty. See you."

She trotted down to Dawn's, where Dawn was already waiting with her purse. "Let's go!" she said enthusiastically.

They hopped in Dawn's truck, and drove a few blocks to the Starbucks. They both got their coffee, and grabbed a window seat in a corner.

"So what's up?" Dawn asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"It's about me and Ty."

"I thought so. What's going on with you guys?"

"I think he's my boyfriend now…"

"Really? Do tell."

"Well, I was telling him about everything that has happened with Bolt and Savanna and everything, and he kissed me. Now…..well, now we're sleeping together."

"What?! You guys had sex?" Dawn whispered in shock.

"No, nonono, not like that. Like actually sleeping." Colt explained quickly. She had to start rephrasing that.

"Oh. Well then."

"Yeah. I was just thinking-what would the others think? The guys? And what if we do end up…you know…_sleeping_ together. Like what you thought."

Dawn thought for a moment, her forehead creasing. "I could care less, as long as you're happy. I mean, come on. You didn't mind when Adam and I got together like that, so I don't either."

Colt nodded, remembering when Dawn had to hide from her parents that she and Adam had had sex in twelfth grade, and how she had helped her through it, no questions asked.

"But I don't know what the other guys will think. I think Captain Sparklez might actually have a bit of a crush on you, and Bodil certainly checks you out often. They're guys. I don't know." She said.

Colt nodded again. "Yeah, that was more what I worried about." She said, finishing her coffee.

"Are you two planning on sleeping together?"

"Um…..I don't really…..you know…..care, although I've thought about it a lot. I can't speak for him, though."

Dawn nodded in understanding. "I gotcha. You wanna go back to the apartments and do some recording?"

"Yeah I do. Hunger Games or Parkour?"

"Hunger Games."

The two threw their cups away and hopped back in Dawn's pickup, battling the traffic the three blocks back to the apartment. When they got to the room, there was no sign of any of the guys, so they went ahead on the server. It was an intense game, and both girls made it to the death match. Dawn was absolutely foul-mouthed as she slew almost all of the players and went down to one heart, while Colt chose to snipe them off from a tree. Colt ended up winning, but only when Dawn's sword broke and she managed to finish her off. Adam got back around three in the afternoon, so Colt scurried back to her apartment and took a lusciously warm shower. The scars on her skin still hadn't faded, and she found herself staring at them a few times. It was difficult, to stop, but she was doing this for Ty. She had to keep up the days clean. Finishing her shower, she toweled off and slipped into a pair of shorts and a cami. She hadn't worn a cami in weeks, but since she wasn't planning on going out again, she didn't think it would be a problem. Ty already knew, in any case.

Picking up _Ender's Game_, she flipped to the middle and started to read. Ender was being bullied, and he was becoming slightly depressed. Poor Ender, thought Colt. She remembered being bullied all through school, and how much it had brought her down. But she was better now, she reminded herself, closing the book. She had Ty, Dawn, and the rest of her friends. She would be fine, she thought curling up in her bed and watching the snow fall.

That night, when Ty got back from Bodil's, Colt was already fast asleep. He got into bed with her, hugging her close, and running a gentle hand through her hair. "Colt?" he whispered.

Colt had woken up when she heard the door shut. "Hey, Ty."

"Colt, I have some bad news."

She tensed up, and flipped over to look him directly in the eye. "What?"

"The National Guard wants me to go fight in Iraq for a few months."

Colt gasped, shaking her head. "No! You'll die!"

Ty smiled sadly. "Colt, I don't care how long it takes me or how hard it is, I swear I'll always come back to you."

A tear trickled slowly down her cheek, and she buried her head in Ty's chest. "I love you so much."

Ty tilted her head up. "I love you more." He said, looking into her eyes.

Colt felt him pull her in, and she put her arms around his neck as he kissed her lips gently. This could be the last one she got before he left, though, and she wanted him to remember it. Ty pulled away a bit, and she smiled at him and looked into his sad eyes. Searching his expression, she didn't realize he was going to kiss her again until she felt him pull her in quickly, kissing her for all he was worth. Colt kissed right back, smiling slightly as he ran a hand through her hair and deepened the kiss. She never wanted the moment to end, and as he began to kiss her neck she sighed happily.

When they both came up for air, tangled in each other, Ty smiled at her and gave her a regular bear hug. "You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you, Colt." He said.

She smiled even as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'll miss you more, Ty. When do you get back from deployment?"

"6 months. I leave tomorrow…."

Colt trembled in his arms, suddenly terrified. "Promise me you'll come back to me alive, Ty. Promise me you won't die over there."

"Colt, I promise. I'll come back alive. I swear I'll do anything to get back here, to you."

She trembled again, and reached up to run a hand lazily through his hair. He smiled tiredly.

Twining her arms around his neck once more, she stretched up and kissed him again. "Goodnight, Ty."

"Goodnight, Colt."


	4. Chapters 10-12

_**Well guys...it looks like I've made the last chapter for this fic. If you want an alternate ending or anything, PM me! I'll write you one, and if I like your idea enough, then I'll publish it. Why? Because I FEEL LIKE IT. New fic up soon!**_

* * *

_**Chapter Ten**_

The next morning at the airport, Ty was in full military uniform and ready to board the plane that would fly him to Iraq. He looked so….different, thought Colt sadly. As he was about to leave to board, he swung her into his arms and kissed her one last time. "Goodbye, Colt. I love you so much."

"I love you more. Goodbye, Ty." She said, a lone tear managing to escape and trickle down her cheek. He brushed it away, and tucked something into her hand as he smiled sadly at her and left. She waved, and started walking back to where Dawn waited for her outside. As soon as he was gone from her view, she ran towards Dawn, about to burst into tears. "Please Dawn, grab the keys and let's go. Please!" she begged her friend. Dawn nodded, unlocking the car and helping her shaking friend inside. As soon as the doors were shut and locked and the car was moving, Colt began to sob hysterically. She heaved and shook, tears flowing down her cheeks as she clutched the object Ty had given her tightly. All the way back, Dawn was silent, giving her friend the room she knew she needed. When they got back, she hugged her friend tightly and hurried her upstairs to her room. The others gave concerned looks as they passed, and Dawn signaled that she would explain later. Colt waved her hand. "Go on. I need to be alone. Thank you." She said, curling up in a ball on Ty's bed and hugging his pillow as she cried.

Dawn nodded and left. As soon as she was gone, Colt cried even harder into Ty's pillow. It smelled like him, and she didn't want to believe that he was gone. While he was in Iraq, the only things she would get were letters. They couldn't video chat because of the base's security, and emails were forbidden. Colt felt like she was dying. What if Ty neve came back? What would she do?

Suddenly, Colt realized that whatever Ty had given her was still in her hand. Unclenching it, she found a pair of dog tags and a note. Unfolding the note, she read his scrawl:

_These are my original tags. I love you baby. Stay strong._

Clutching the dog tags, she put them over her neck and started to choke, she sobbed so hard. Rocking back and forth, she wailed softly in mourning. Getting up, she slipped into one of his sweatshirts and then curled up in his bed, falling asleep.

About a month later, Colt received Ty's first letter.

_January 5_

_Colt,_

_It's brutal over here. One of the guys on our squad got killed the first week by a land mine, and there was a whole tank of our guys got blown to bits by an RPG. I'm fine, I saw my first combat of this deployment three days ago. The Iraqis are brutal. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you._

_-Ty_

Then, another month later, in February, she received a yellow slip of paper in the mail. Fearful, sh anked it out of the seal and scanned it. It read:

_Miss:_

_We regret to inform you that Lieutenant Tyler was reported MIA several days ago. He was taken war prisoner by the Iraqi rebels, and is currently believed to be held captive in a POW camp in one of their more remote locations. Thank you for your family's service to our country._

_-US Secretary of Defense_

Colt read the slip again, sure she must be dreaming. Ty couldn't be MIA. He promised he would be okay. He promised he would come back to her. Reading it over and over, it began to sink in. Ty was gone. He might never return. He might be dead already. Balling up the note, she burst into tears on the floor.

Hugging herself, she shook and choked, screaming. Seconds later, Dawn burst in the door, looking absolutely terrified. "Colt? Colt, what the hell is going on?"

"He's MIA! Dawn, he's gone!" she screamed, sobbing.

Closing the door, Dawn curled up beside her friend and hugged her. "He'll come back, I promise. He'll be fine." She said, attempting to comfort the crying girl.

About two weeks later, Colt's arms were once again covered in scars. She never ate, never slept, waiting for news. She hadn't been outside the apartment since the note arrived, and had spoken to no one. There had been no letters, only the MIA notice slipped under the door week after week.

Colt knew her depression was taking over her. She had lost nearly 30 pounds, and was skin and bones. Her arms were all scars, and there were cuts on her legs and hips too. She hadn't taken a proper shower in weeks, and all she wanted to do was die.

One day, she took a shower, brushed out her hair, and put on one of Ty's sweatshirts and some shorts. Stumbling outside, her emaciation was even more obvious. She could barely walk, and her clothes hung off of her like sacks. She was obviously dehydrated, and all her cuts were fairly visible. Suddenly, Colt felt incredibly dizzy. She crashed into the wall, stumbling to the staircase. Captain Sparklez burst out of his room just as she collapsed to the floor, nearly unconscious and bleeding. As he knelt beside her, speaking what sounded like gibberish, she said weakly, "Help…me…". Then everything went black as sirens wailed in the distance.

Several days later, Colt woke up in the hospital. IV tubes fed in and out of her, and she was alone in the big white room in a big white hospital bed. Trying to sit up, she realized that she had been loosely restrained. Looking around, Colt spotted a nurse by the door. "HEY!" she yelled, although it barely came out. The nurse turned around, nodded, and left. Scowling, Colt sat there, hoping the nurse had gone to get her friends.

A few moments later, Dawn burst into the room, in tears. "Colt! You've been out for a week! What the hell were you thinking?! You're okay, though, that's all that matters."

Smiling at her friend, she looked as Captain Sparklez walked in shyly. She smiled at him thankfully. "Thank you for saving me." She said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I was so worried-I thought you were-"

He broke off, looking shockingly emotional. She gave him another squeeze, and turned to Bodil and Adam as they came in. Adam looked terrified at her emaciation, but Bodil just looked worried. "I'm sorry guys." She said, feeling as though she wanted to cry again, watching all of their faces staring at her. What if she actually had died? They would all be devastated. Ty would be devastated when he got home. Speaking of Ty….

"Where's Ty? Any news?" she asked urgently.

Dawn looked at the others, and they all exchanged glances. "He's been rescued. Right now he's in a vet's hospital over in Europe, where he's being treated for mild head trauma. He was the only survivor or the camp, and he'll be at the hospital for another two months so that he comes back good as new. Colt, he's fine."

Colt grinned and laid her head back, silently breathing her thanks.

Everyone smiled at her, obviously relieved that she was a bit better. "SO when do I get to go home…?" she asked.

"In a day or so, once they deem you fit for movement. You'll be healthy weight and everything in about a month, as long as you eat a lot."

Colt smiled. "Food. What can I eat? I'm starving!"

Everyone laughed. Oh, this was going to be an interesting month.

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Indeed, when a month had passed, Colt was back in excellent shape. He ribs still showed a little bit, but she was a decent weight and she had exercised enough to be able to move around normally. And at the two month checkpoint, she was perfect weight, and had gotten incredibly fit.

Dawn and the others visited her often, sometimes just to check up on her, other times to talk or do Minecraft recordings. Knocks at the door were now something Colt looked forwards to, and she was becoming more excited by the hour about Ty's return. Dawn was even more excited than she was about her big milestone: her wedding, which she had invited Colt to be the maid of honor at. Naturally, Colt accepted, and her friend immediately started on wedding plans.

One day, Colt heard a particularly loud knock at the door. She yelled, "Coming!" as she hopped out of the shower and slipped into a cami and shorts as quickly as she could. Running to the door, she flung it open. She gasped at who stood there.

"TY!" she yelped gleefully as he swung her into his arms and spun her around. He laughed and set her down, smiling broadly as he shut the door. Grinning, Colt flung her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips, and he hugged her close to him. "I missed you so much, Colt." He whispered into her ear, and she smiled.

"I missed you too," she said, running her hand through his hair.

Curling some of her hair behind her ear, Ty swung her back up into his arms and she curled her legs around him. He kissed her lightly on the lips, then a little bit stronger. Colt's heart pounded, and she felt herself reacting to him like her brain had been disconnected from the rest of her body. Tangling her hands in his hair, she kissed him fiercely, and he moaned.

Colt felt him kiss her neck, and her hips bucked slightly against him. He shuddered, setting her gently down on the bed and taking off her shirt. Colt's heart felt like it was going to thump right out of her chest, she was so excited. She began to unbutton his shirt, and she felt his heart pounding almost in sync with hers. Suddenly she felt quite fragile in his strong arms, and as she curled into his arms and kissed him again, she felt a tear slip down her cheek. It wasn't out of sadness, nor happiness, really. It was more out of disbelief that she had him back, that he was hers again.

Then, interrupting her thoughts, Ty let his hands slip lightly down her body to her waist, then her thighs. Her hips bucked sharply and she arched her back at his touch, surprised slightly. She felt him, hard against her, and moaned. He kissed down her breasts, to her stomach, to her slit, then back up her body.

Then, as Colt thought she would simply burst with excitement, he poised his hips and sank slowly into her core. She threw her head back in pleasure as he thrusted, gentle but intense.

"Missed me, did you?" he breathed into her ear.

Colt giggled. "Not as much as you missed me." she said, almost incoherently.

As they both reached their peak, Colt's hips bucked crazily and her back arched, Ty cradling her in his arms. Finally, she came, screaming with pleasure. Then, she passed out.

The next morning, Colt woke up to the pretty pink sunrise and a layer of snow on the ground. She shifted, feeling her bare skin against Ty's, and remembered everything of the previous night. Even though it had been her first time having sex, he was gentle, and she had enjoyed it, really.

She felt his arm wrap around her as he kissed her neck. "Morning, beautiful." he said.

Colt smiled and turned to see his face. "Morning, love." she said, happy to finally wake up with him by her side. Curling into his chest, she felt him kiss her head lovingly.

As he ran his hands carelessly through her hair, she felt a tear fall down her cheek again. She remembered the terror of his being gone, and when he had gone MIA. She remembered not wanting to live without him. And she never wanted it to happen again.

Ty tipped her head up. "Baby, what's wrong?" he said, looking into her eyes with a tenderness unlike any other.

Colt blinked back more tears. "Never leave me again, Ty. Please. I don't want to wake up one morning to find out that…..that….."

She couldn't finish her sentence, she was nearly choking on her tears and the sobs that wanted to rip themselves out of her body. Nevertheless, Ty knew what she meant, and kissed her fiercely. "I will never leave you Colt. Never again. I promise." he seemed to growl into her neck as he pulled her close to him. Colt slipped her arms around his neck and sighed contentedly, knowing she had never been happier in her life.

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve**_

A month or two later, in December, Colt , Ty, Fluffy, Bodil, Sparklez, and Dawn all gathered outside Adam's room with ice and alarm clocks. Sparklez and Fluffy had decided that, with the first snow of the month, they should get back at Adam for his prank the year before. Dawn had helped, of course, unable to resist a chance to prank her husband. Fluffy and Sparklez slipped into the room as the others rushed downstairs to get ready to run for their lives. A few moments later, they heard a guttural screech as Adam was awoken, and the loud clomps of Fluffy and Sparklez running down the stairs in fear for their lives. As they burst out with a furious Adam on their heels, Dawn raised her bucket of icy water from a first floor balcony right above them and timed it perfectly, sending most of it right onto Adam's head. He cursed furiously, realizing this was Fluffy 's revenge, and sprinted after all of them just in time to let Dawn sprint past him to the front, evading his grabbing arms.

Now they were all howling with laughter, about a block from the park, Adam still in raging pursuit. Skidding behind trees as Adam barreled in, Dawn ran out and he skidded to a stop in front of her, beginning to grin. "Did Fluffy get you into this?" he asked knowingly.

Dawn doubled over with laughter. "Yes!" she said.

Adam smiled good naturedly, giving her a sly look. Kneeling down, he opened his arms as if to embrace Dawn, and she leapt into them with a knowing look. She knocked him over, and he grabbed a ball of snow. Fluffy tipped his head at Ty and Colt, questioning. What was going on?

Suddenly, before Fluffy could look back, Dawn had rolled off of Adam and he had sprung up, sending a well-aimed snowball right at Fluffy's neck. It slid down his back and he jumped about, yelling and shimmying, frantically trying to dislodge it. Everyone cracked up as they began to hurl snowballs at anyone within range. Ty and Colt split up, targeting Bodil because he was almost completely oblivious and generally was idiotic enough to catch.

Suddenly, Colt found herself in the middle of the field as she chased Dawn. The two girl were laughing, both soaked to the bone. Dawn pointed behind Colt, laughing even harder. 'Look out!" she choked, but too late. Ty crashed into her, wrapping his arms around her and spinning her around.

"Gotcha!" he said triumphantly, as she squirmed playfully, trying to poke him.

Suddenly, Ty let her go. She turned around to face him, confused, and started. He was kneeling, holding a box. He opened it, looking into her eyes. "Colt… you're my world. I love you so much. Will you marry me?"

Colt nearly squeaked. "Yes!" she said, shaking. "Yes, I will marry you!" she said, overwhelmed with joy as he smiled and pulled her into his arms. She heard everyone cheer, and she kissed Ty. "I love you forever." She whispered in his ear.

He squeezed her. "I love you too." he said.


End file.
